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SPANISH VERB

querer

to want

  • #11 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: queriendo
  • Past participle: querido

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I want
  2. tú you want
  3. usted, él, ella he/she wants
  4. nosotros we want
  5. vosotros Spain you all want
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they want

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I wanted
  2. tú you wanted
  3. usted, él, ella he/she wanted
  4. nosotros we wanted
  5. vosotros Spain you all wanted
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they wanted

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to want
  2. tú you used to want
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to want
  4. nosotros we used to want
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to want
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to want

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will want
  2. tú you will want
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will want
  4. nosotros we will want
  5. vosotros Spain you all will want
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will want

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would want
  2. tú you would want
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would want
  4. nosotros we would want
  5. vosotros Spain you all would want
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would want

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I want
  2. tú (that) you want
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she want
  4. nosotros (that) we want
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all want
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they want

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I wanted
  2. tú (if) you wanted
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she wanted
  4. nosotros (if) we wanted
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all wanted
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they wanted

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú want!
  2. usted want! (formal)
  3. nosotros want! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain want! (all of you)
  5. ustedes want! (all of you)

How to use querer

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    ¿Quieres un café o un jugo de naranja?

    Do you want a coffee or an orange juice?

  2. Past

    Quise llamarte, pero se me acabó la batería.

    I meant to call you, but my battery died.

  3. Imperfect

    De niño, Diego quería ser bombero.

    As a boy, Diego wanted to be a firefighter.

  4. Future

    ¿Querrás venir a la boda en diciembre?

    Will you want to come to the wedding in December?

  5. Conditional

    Mi mamá querría conocer Cancún algún día.

    My mom would like to see Cancún someday.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Haz lo que quieras, pero regresa temprano.

    Do what you want, but come back early.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Quisiera una mesa para dos, por favor.

    I would like a table for two, please.

  8. Imperative

    Quiere mucho a tus abuelos, ya están grandes.

    Love your grandparents a lot, they are getting old.

Good to know

  • Querer a alguien is to love someone: te quiero.
  • Quisiera is the polite way to say "I would like" in a shop or a restaurant.

Where you hear querer

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 1

  • Quiero un café con leche. I want a coffee with milk.
  • Ayer quería ir al parque, pero llovió. Yesterday I wanted to go to the park, but it rained.
  • Vas a querer más mole. You're going to want more mole.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Quiero un café con leche, por favor. I want a coffee with milk, please.
  • Cuando era niña, quería ser doctora. When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor.
  • Vas a querer más mole. You're going to want more mole.
4
Do You Want a Coffee?

Beginner Level 1 · quieres · quiero · no quiero

Needs a subscription 23
A Table for Three

Beginner Level 1 · quieren

Needs a subscription 14
When I Was a Child

Beginner Level 2 · quería

Needs a subscription 24
This Is My Sister

Beginner Level 2 · las quiere

Needs a subscription 28
On the One Hand

Beginner Level 2 · lo que quiere

Needs a subscription 29
I've Decided

Beginner Level 2 · cuando quieras

Needs a subscription 2
You Have to Lie Diagonally

Beginner Level 3 · va a querer · cuando quiera

Free 4
What Brings You Here?

Beginner Level 3 · queremos

Needs a subscription 6
Could You Recommend Something?

Beginner Level 3 · quisiera

Needs a subscription 7
Can You Send It to Me?

Beginner Level 3 · lo quieres

Needs a subscription 21
Seven Colours

Beginner Level 3 · quisiéramos

Needs a subscription 13
The Contract

Intermediate Level 1 · Cuando quiera.

Needs a subscription

And 20 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.